How much rent can I afford on £26k?

GaleSF63

Sofas turn up on Freecycle frequently - I would say they are one of the most common articles to come up round here. Small electrical stuff can be bought cheaply at the large supermarkets and places like Wilkos. Some will also be found on Freecycle - I got a lovely vacuum cleaner that way!

If you take the plunge, it might seem like a money-pit at first but much of it will be one-offs. 

Good luck!

london21

Seems doable but be mindful that it might be a squeeze and you do not want to put yourself in a situation where you have to borrow unsecured high interest loan/overdraft.

Maybe In the next few montths if you can get a higher paying role after completing your masters.

grumiofoundation

GaleSF63 said:

Sofas turn up on Freecycle frequently - I would say they are one of the most common articles to come up round here. Small electrical stuff can be bought cheaply at the large supermarkets and places like Wilkos. Some will also be found on Freecycle - I got a lovely vacuum cleaner that way!

If you take the plunge, it might seem like a money-pit at first but much of it will be one-offs. 

Good luck!

Would agree on the glut of sofas! Maybe a lot of people buying new ones? 

Facebook marketplace can also have some good deals/free stuff.

Local charity shops (especially furniture charity shops) are also a good cheap source of useful household items.  

theoretica

Do check up on the flat, or the sort of flats, you are looking to rent before you start acquiring things.  Some come with most of what you need and just strange odd lacks like no can opener or bookshelf.

For cooking for one, I found a number of plastic tubs really useful - and cooking more than one meal's worth at once and then boxing it up to reheat later so no need for takeaways.

bigolsausage

sammyjammy said:

Go for it, sounds like you have everything covered, you can pick up pretty cheap appliances these days.  Do you need the car if you are WFH and living in the city centre?  Could you get public transport to visit family.

Good luck, I am sure you will love it

Thanks! My boyfriend lives in a village with no public transport and I may have to commute in occasionally but with where my job is in NW London, it would take too long to get the train in. Also I’m looking at moving jobs within the next year and want to make sure I’m eligible for those which require a car to commute to different sites. But yeah I can see how my car is a luxury that I could get rid of. 

zagubov

Someone listed the kind of things you may end up needing in your own home. It went on for pages and you'd prbably a;llready have them all or expect them to be supplied.
It went something like this:

Documents (real or virtual)

Passport Photos (at least four, and keep some on you). Also scan some on to your computer to get quick reproductions for less (especially for ID that doesn't really matter)
Passport
Driving Licence-
National Insurance Number
NHS Medical Card
Details of your vaccination history-Don't need anymore they'll transfer your details
Insurance Documents
TV Licence-if needed
Support Notification
Any Information from your LEA, the SLC (Student Loans Company) or Student Finance Direct
Any Documents regarding your Accommodation
Bank or Building Society Details-
Travel Discount Cards (Young Person's Railcard etc)
CV & References
Academic Reading List
Academic Diary / Wall Planner / Calendar
Relevant Old Text Books and Notes
Dictionary
Thesaurus

Stationery and Educational Equipment
Lamp
Notice or Message Board
Book Chair-again who uses them anymore
Lined Paper
Printing Paper
Jotter or Reporter Pad
Pens
Pencils
Highlighters
Permanent All-Surface Markers (useful for marking what's yours!)
White Tack-Only buy white tack
Scissors
Sellotape
Hole Puncher
Stapler
Treasury Tags
Paper Clips
Post-it Notes or Flag Markers
Sticky-back Labels
Pins for sticking things to any cork boards provided
Ruler(s)
A4 Ring Binders or Lever Arch Folders
Paper or Plastic Wallets
Clipboard
Envelopes & Stamps

Electrical Appliances-What?
Extension leads Get Surge protected ones to protect valuable equipment
Computer/Laptop & charger
USB Pen drive
CD-R/RW for creating hard back ups
External Harddrive
Printer
Calculator (for finances)
Alarm Clock
Mobile Phone & charger
Landline Phone Dont bother if you've got a mobile it'll be cheaper
CD-player-Bring a pc/laptop with speakers instead
Desk Fan
Television (You will probably need to purchase a TV license).

Camera mobile might be fine.

Batteries and charger
MP3 Player/IPod (with charger and USB connector)
Speakers and Connector
Headphones
DVD Player-Again use pc or laptop
Digibox-See televison
Games consoles
Hair Dryer
Hair Straighteners / Curling Tongs
Iron, perhaps an ironing board but some unis have one for students to use (Small tabletop one, perhaps?)

Personal Items/Toiletries
Nail Clippers
Nail Scissors
Tweezers
Deodorant
Hairbrush / Comb
Razor
Body Spray
Perfume
Hair Dye
Hair Products
Jewellery Box
Make-up
Moisturiser
Prescription Glasses/spare pair (and a copy of your prescription)
Contacts & contacts solution
Earplugs
First Aid Kit
Prescription Medicines
Contraception
Multivitamins
Painkillers
Plasters
Antiseptic Wipes
Antiseptic Cream
Blister Plasters
Cold/Flu Remedy
Throat Lozenges
Pro-Plus
Nytol
Anti-allergy Tablets
A Cold/Hot Pack
Sanitary Towels/Tampons Clothing

Clothing

Dressing Gown
Pyjamas
Slippers
Swimwear
Normal, casual clothing
Formal wear
Gym or Sporting Clothes
School Tie (for the school discos you're BOUND to have!)
A warm coat, gloves, scarf, hat and a brolly (so many students pack in sunny September and get caught out/cold when Autumn/Winter starts to bite)
Fancy Dress Items [seriously]
Clean underwear
Smart clothing and smart shoes suitable for interviews for part-time jobs
Bathroom Items
Hand Towels
Bath Towels
Wash Bag
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Mouthwash
Floss
Soap
Shower gel
Shampoo
Conditioner
Razor/epilator/hair removing equipment-havent we allready had that
Shaving cream
toilet roll
Air freshener
Anti-perspirant/deodorant.

Bedroom Items

Bedding
Sheets
Duvet/Quilt
Duvet/Quilt Cover
Pillows
Pillow Cases
Mattress Protector [not only if you have incontinence issues, but if you have a drunken mishap during the night!
Blanket
Other Stuff
Cushions so that your bed is both a bed and a sofa
Cuddly toys!

Hot Waterbottle
Sleeping Bag
Inflatable Bed
Airbed Pump
Alarm Clock
Take something to eat for your first night's meal, as it might be a bit hectic.
Kitchen Items
Appliances: Dont bring any they'll be supplied and you'll soon fall out of favour if your making toast in your bedroo

Kettle-
Toaster-Dont bother
Toasted Sandwich MakerI brought one never get used
Equipment
Small Casserole Dish
Small Frying Pan
Wok or Large Frying Pan (with lid)
Large Saucepan (with lid)
Small Saucepan (with lid)
Tin Opener
Bottle Opener
Corkscrew
Vegetable Peeler
Cheese Grater
Wooden Spoons or Spatulas
Masher
Microwavable Bowl
Measuring Jug
Sieve
Colander
Chopping Knives
Chopping Board
Lemon Squeezer
Tupperware (plastic) tubs for storing left overs. Write something on the lids and the tubs to prevent them going missing
Other Kitchen Items
Glasses (Wine Glasses, Shot Glasses, Pint Glasses, tumblers, high-ball)
Cutlery (Knives, Forks, Spoons) Tip - Taking just 1 or 2 of everything will encourage you to wash them straight away
Crockery (Plates, Bowls, Mugs, Cups)
Apron
Oven Glove
Tea Towels
Baking Foil
Cling Film
Sandwich Bags
Marigolds - Washing up gloves
Carbon Monoxide Tester
Bin bags/black or white (plastic) sacks for rubbish and waste.
Biscuit Tin
Pizza slicer Pair of scissors
Apple Corer Really???
Laundry and Housekeeping Items
Febreze
Washing Powder
Fabric Softener
Laundry Bag
Clothes Horse
Coat hangers
Washing up Liquid
Washing up Sponge/Cloth
Kitchen Towel
Toilet Roll
Cleaning Equipment though often provided by universities
Decorative

Photos
Postcards
Rug
Throw
Cushions
Beanbag

Plants

Miscellaneous
Loose Change (for washing machines)
Extra Storage – Boxes, Shelves etc
Holdall or Weekend Bag
Torch
Pen Knife
Safety Pins
Small Sewing Kit
Small Tool Kit
Matches
Watch - always good for suddenly realising you've got a lecture in 2 minutes!
Fan
Hooks/Sticky Hooks
Door Wedge
Tissues
Lip Balm/ Chap Stick
Board Games
Cards
Balls/ Frisbees
Sports Equipment
Umbrella
Tray
Recipe Book
Store Cupboard Ingredients (Oil, Spices, Tin and Packet Food)
Alcohol. For the love of god take some wine and spirits and invite some neighbours over to make friends!!!
Money!!
Small safe for valuables / documents

leypt1

You have probably already thought about this and have good reasons, but you have pretty good savings and on your salary could actually buy a 1 bed flat in Reading with a 10% deposit

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION^1114&maxPrice=150000&propertyTypes=&includeSSTC=false&mustHave=&dontShow=sharedOwnership,retirement&furnishTypes=&keywords=

Tokmon

bigolsausage said:

RAS said:

You need to budget for

Car repairs, MOT etc
Clothing, although you may be able to restrict this for a couple of years to footwear and undies.
Entertainment
Holidays
Emergency fund

Remember that you're probably used to using household equipment that your mother owns. Do you have a bottom drawer of kitchen equipment, bedding, DIY stuff, iron, hoover, etc?

Thanks!! 

Repairs can be covered with my savings. 
I've recently bought some new clothes which should last me another 5/10 years. I'm not big on clothes and have been wearing the same things that I bought in school! I also just bought a bunch of undies, some of which are still in the pack so I should be good for a while xD 
My LISA can act as my emergency fund, I'll take a hit on the withdrawal fee but if I'm desperate it's there. Otherwise I don't really have any other options, I can't keep living at home forever anyway! 
I don't go on holiday even when we were able to so that's not a problem. 

Like I said, I've grown up poor so i'm used to not having these things. 

I have all of my bed stuff, I've bought a lot of kitchen stuff from when I was at university - there are a few things I would need but I can accumulate those before I move in (I'm looking at a September moving date). I'm more concerned about monthly expenses as I can get bits and bobs from family and/or Next Door where sometimes people give things away that they don't need anymore.

In your OP you haven't budgeted for putting any money into savings so you need to do that otherwise each repair will just end up draining your savings and you could potentially end up with nothing left or having to dip into your LISA.

bigolsausage

leypt1 said:

You have probably already thought about this and have good reasons, but you have pretty good savings and on your salary could actually buy a 1 bed flat in Reading with a 10% deposit

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION^1114&maxPrice=150000&propertyTypes=&includeSSTC=false&mustHave=&dontShow=sharedOwnership,retirement&furnishTypes=&keywords=

The problem is, I really don’t want to settle in Reading long term. At the moment it’s just the area that I can afford that’s inbetween my family and my boyfriend/his family. I’ve never lived there before (although my sister did for uni and that’s where I got more acquainted with it). So yeah I don’t know what it’s like to live there and don’t want to commit to long term until I’m sure I’m happy with the area. I’m also at a stage in my job where I’m ready to move up (but golden handcuffs have stopped me so far) and so my salary is likely to increase whereby I could buy something either bigger than a 1 bed or in a nicer area. 

But yes it’s definitely crossed my mind. I also don’t think I’d be able to afford shared ownership, the rent portion on those properties push the monthly amount quite high from what I can tell 

Murphybear

You sound very sensible 

I agree with others, do not stop paying into your pension.  If you do you will probably regret it when you get to my age.

if you need furniture IKEA is good value although not to everyone’s taste.  Freecycle is useful too but your areas anything like mine things have been taken before I can read the emails.  I bought some clothes on eBay during the lockdown and got some amazing bargains.  

Some of the bigger charities sell furniture and they usually have lots of wardrobes.  

Let us know how you get on.